# Codenames



## Keldeo (Dec 18, 2018)

Hi everyone! Codenames is "a game of guessing which code names (words) in a set are related to a hint-word given by another player". It's been mentioned a couple of times in the favorite tabletop/board games thread, so I thought there would be some interest here. We can play by post with 4-8 people split into two teams. If you want to sign up for a game, post in the thread with whether you're open to being a spymaster or you just want to be a player.

This game is less self explanatory than most of the games in this forum, so here are the rules and an example round.



Spoiler: How to play, taken from Wikipedia



Players split into two teams: red and blue. One player of each team is selected as the team's spymaster; the others are field operatives.

25 cards, each bearing a word, are laid out randomly. 8 or 9 represent red agents, 9 or 8 represent blue agents, 1 represents an assassin, and the others represent innocent bystanders. Only the spymasters know which cards are which colors. The game ends when all of one team's agents are identified (winning the game for that team), or when one team has identified the assassin (losing the game for that team).

Teams take turns. On each turn, the appropriate spymaster posts a hint consisting of a single word and a number, and the field operatives guess cards, one at a time. The field operatives can discuss the game in the thread before posting their final guess.

The spymaster's hint should be related to as many of the words on their own agents' cards as possible, but not to any others – lest they accidentally lead their team to choose a card representing an innocent bystander, an opposing agent, or the assassin. 

The hint's word can't be (or contain) any of the words on the code name cards still showing at that time, and can't be related to a card's position in the grid. The hint's number tells the field operatives how many words in the grid are related to the word of the clue. It also determines the maximum number of guesses the field operatives may make on that turn, which is the hint's number plus one. 

After each guess from the field operatives, the spymaster reveals the identity of that card: blue, red, bystander, or assassin.

If the assassin is pointed out, the game ends immediately, with the team who identified the assassin losing. If an agent of the other team is pointed out, the turn ends immediately, and that other team is also one agent closer to winning. If an innocent bystander is pointed out, the turn simply ends. If an agent of the operatives' team is pointed out, the turn continues. Field operatives must make at least one guess per turn and can end their turn voluntarily at any point thereafter.





Spoiler: Example turn



Say the grid looks like this. Since there are 9 blue cards and 8 red cards, the blue team goes first. 






The blue spymaster gives the hint *Round 2*, so the blue field operatives can make up to 3 guesses. 

They guess *Ball*, and one of the spymasters reveals that ball is blue. Now, no one can guess ball any more, and blue is one card closer to winning. The blue operatives could choose to end their turn or continue to guess.

If the operatives guess another blue word, like *Spot*, a spymaster reveals that it's blue, and the operatives can continue guessing or end their turn.

If they guess a red or bystander word, like *Hole* or *Button*, a spymaster reveals its color and it becomes the red team's turn. If the card was Hole, it would now be flipped over, so the red team is one card closer to winning.

If they guess the assassin word, *Shot*, the game ends and the blue team loses.


Signups:
- Kung Fu Ferret
- Cynder
- DarkAura


----------



## Kung Fu Ferret (Dec 19, 2018)

I'm in!


----------



## Cynder (Dec 19, 2018)

Sounds neat. I'm fine with being either a player or spymaster.


----------



## DarkAura (Dec 22, 2018)

I'm down with being a player!


----------



## Keldeo (Dec 23, 2018)

Okay, that's enough people to play with teams of two! We can play with up to 8, though, so let's say we can start on the 27th in case anyone else wants to sign up?


----------



## Keldeo (Dec 28, 2018)

I'll play since we can only reach an even number that way. I randomized the teams:

Red team: Kung Fu Ferret (spymaster), me (field operative)
Blue team: Cynder (spymaster), DarkAura (field operative)

Kung Fu Ferret and Cynder, you can generate a shared board at horsepaste.com and post a screenshot of the blank board in the thread. Whoever starts with more cards is the first clue giver, then we take turns from there.


----------



## Cynder (Dec 28, 2018)

Red Team goes first.


----------



## Kung Fu Ferret (Dec 28, 2018)

cover


----------



## Keldeo (Dec 28, 2018)

Oops, sorry, I don't think I explained the rules very well. Since you're spymaster, you give a clue with a word and number that's not on the board, relating to the red words, and then I guess stuff that's on the board.


----------



## Eifie (Feb 16, 2019)

gg everyone


----------

